Pace University is a well-known and respected institution of higher education. From its undergraduate college to its school of law, Pace has a reputation both in the New York City community where the Manhattan campus is located as well as Pleasantville in Westchester County. Irrespective of what undergraduate or graduate program or campus you are studying in or at, an arrest on that campus or the commencement of a Title IX disciplinary hearing is not merely frightening, but life altering as well. Think for a moment. You have studied hard through primary school and high school. You may have been on a sports team, in club or a part of another organization. You or your family has found the means to finance your college or graduate education whether through paying as you go or loans. Now, the NYPD and the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office or the Pleasantville, Mt. Pleasant, Westchester County Police and Westchester County District Attorney’s Office has levied criminal charges against you. You have been arrested, maybe even indicted, and face a criminal record that will live with you forever. Even without such a criminal complaint, you may not be spared from a tumultuous future. Why? Because a fellow student has accused you of sexual or gender based harassment or discrimination and there is a pending Title IX investigation and disciplinary hearing that may result in your suspension or expulsion. Simply, there are a lot of questions you unquestionably have and depending on how you answer or address them, your exposure can be crippling.

Pace University Arrests, Indictments and Criminal Investigations

As noted above, depending on whether the criminal allegation is in Westchester or Manhattan, the respective police agency that makes the arrest and District Attorney’s Office that prosecutes the case will have jurisdiction over your case. In the realm of the lesser criminal offenses on a college campus or associated with college activities, there may be “pink slip” summonses returnable to a local court in Pleasantville or Briarcliff (or wherever the activity occurred). In Manhattan that court is located at 346 Broadway. Criminal cases involving misdemeanors are either handled through Desk Appearance Tickets, Appearance Tickets or DATs and felonies are processed through the entire procedure where an accused – student or not – is in custody until he or she sees a judge. This is done at the local court level in Westchester and at the Criminal Court in New York City. The more serious offenses, post indictment where a case has already been presented to a Grand Jury, are prosecuted in Westchester County Court or Manhattan Supreme Court.

While the list of criminal matters is too great to draft on one webpage addressing crimes on college campuses, some of the “usual suspects” include minor in possession and alcohol related offenses, fake IDs, trespassing, marijuana or other drug (cocaine, molly, heroin) possession, assaults and thefts. These crimes, depending on certain elements can be misdemeanors or felonies. Either way, a conviction is permanent. Once you earn your degree and graduate from college, nobody can take it away from you. The same is true for a felony or misdemeanor conviction.

Even if you do not spend a year in jail upon a misdemeanor conviction or four, seven fifteen or twenty five years in prison on a felony plea, the consequences of criminal wrongdoing on a college campus can set other events into motion that could have not as severe, but relatively comparable ramifications to your college and professional career.

Sexual Violence, Sexual Harassment & Gender Based Harassment

Title IX investigations and disciplinary investigations at Pace University may be different in terms of who is investigating and how it transpires, but Title IX is the same law and process from college to college and university to university throughout New York City, the State of New York and the United States. You do have certain rights and need to be advised of them. You have a school handbook reflecting investigation, disciplinary, suspension and expulsion procedures. Remember, these investigations can occur with or without a separate criminal case. It may be relevant in the long term whether there is also a concurrent criminal investigation or arrest, but it is not controlling upon the school other than the fact that a criminal court’s decision could trump that of Pace University.

Whether it is a criminal issue or one involving gender or sexual based harassment, discrimination or retaliation, Pace and law enforcement have the tools to prosecute offenses. From the Title IX Coordinator to the Executive Director of Safety and Security, all administrators at Pace’s New York City and Westchester campuses are serious about violations.

Protect yourself if you are either a victim or defendant in an allegation of wrongdoing. Don’t let the time and investment you placed in your education be destroyed. It is not merely your college career, but your future that will be in great jeopardy.

Call our New York criminal defense attorneys at (212) 312-7129 or contact us online today.

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We serve the following localities: New York, Manhattan, New York County, The Bronx, Bronx County, Brooklyn, Kings County, Queens, Queens County, Staten Island, Richmond County, Greenburgh, New Rochelle, White Plains, Yonkers, and Westchester County.